Rapid and Low-Cost Method for Evaluation of Nutrient Release from Controlled-Release Fertilizers Using Electrical Conductivity

Methods to determine nutrient release rates of coated fertilizers usually rely on chemical analyses, which often are time-consuming and/or expensive. Our goal was to develop an innovative and rapid low-cost method to evaluate nutrient release from polymer coated MAP or urea using conductometry. The...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of polymers and the environment 2018-12, Vol.26 (12), p.4388-4395
Main Authors: Cancellier, Eduardo Lopes, Degryse, Fien, Silva, Douglas Ramos Guelfi, da Silva, Rodrigo Coqui, McLaughlin, Mike John
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ammonium
Calibration
Chemistry
Chemistry and Materials Science
Coatings
Controlled release
Electrical conductivity
Electrical resistivity
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology
Fertilizers
Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering
Low cost
Materials Science
Nutrient release
Nutrients
Organic chemistry
Original Paper
Polymer coatings
Polymer Sciences
Time dependence
Urea
Ureas
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Summary:Methods to determine nutrient release rates of coated fertilizers usually rely on chemical analyses, which often are time-consuming and/or expensive. Our goal was to develop an innovative and rapid low-cost method to evaluate nutrient release from polymer coated MAP or urea using conductometry. The release in water is determined by measuring the electric conductivity (EC) over time, with intervals dependent on release rates. In the case of soluble salt fertilizers, EC can be immediately determined and converted to a concentration using a calibration curve. In the case of urea, an additional step is needed to convert the neutral urea into ammonium. The release rates in water were assessed for a range of commercial and laboratory-coated fertilizers. A validation test demonstrated strong agreement with the release determined using analytical techniques. The EC method hence offers an easy way to quickly evaluate the time course of release of nutrients from controlled-release fertilizers.
ISSN:1566-2543
1572-8919
DOI:10.1007/s10924-018-1309-1